Dunedin LPA backs two‑path update to Sustainability Matrix, adding a new scorecard and a third‑party exemption

The Dunedin Local Planning Agency voted to forward a recommendation to the City Commission for Ordinance 25‑11, a proposed update to the city’s Sustainability Matrix that would create an alternative Sustainable Development Scorecard and allow an exemption for projects that carry third‑party sustainability certifications.

Natalie Gass, the city’s Sustainability Program Manager, told the LPA the ordinance was drafted to both modernize the matrix and to comply with Senate Bill 180, which limits municipalities from adding new restrictions that could be seen as more burdensome. "Senate Bill 180 provides for regulations around not having anything in the land development code be more restrictive or burdensome that's new," Gass said, and the recommended solution was a two‑path approach: keep the current matrix and offer a new scorecard alternative.

What the two paths mean

- Current matrix (Option A): Retain the existing structure with some grammatical fixes; projects that use the existing matrix would still be required to reach at least 100 points under the current system.

- Sustainable Development Scorecard (Option B): A substantially reorganized, tiered scorecard that adds roughly 20 new strategies across categories, raises the minimum to 500 points (designed as 20.75% of the scorecard total), and clarifies subcategories, point ranges and phasing so projects of different types can meet requirements in flexible ways. Staff said the scorecard allows projects to pick strategies that best fit the site and still meet the minimum.

Third‑party exemption and implementation

Staff proposed an exemption for projects that pursue and achieve an accredited third‑party certification (examples listed by staff included LEED, Green Globes, Florida Green Building Coalition and FitWel). Gass said the exemption exists because third‑party programs update frequently and can exceed what a city document can practically maintain. "If a project is achieving any of these, they're going above what we could have in our own document," she said.

Developer feedback and public comment

Gass read summary feedback from developers who piloted the scorecard; one developer reported running an active project through the new scorecard and exceeding 800 points, indicating the 500‑point minimum is achievable. Linda Mifsud of First United Methodist Church of Dunedin, speaking for FAST (Faith and Action for Strength Together), urged support for the scorecard and highlighted water‑quality and flooding concerns: "Our members had suffered from red tide and flooding and rapid rise of waters throughout," she said, and she urged the city to include maintenance and education programs to preserve long‑term benefits of green stormwater infrastructure.

Vote and next steps

The LPA moved and seconded a recommendation to forward Ordinance 25‑11 to the City Commission; the motion was recorded as passed in the meeting transcript. Staff noted the ordinance is scheduled for first reading on Jan. 8 and second reading on Feb. 5 at the City Commission. The recommendation to the Commission preserves both paths in the ordinance so the city can proceed while remaining compliant with state law.